East African Business Week (Kampala)
Ben Moses Ilakut
10 August 2008
Governments world over-no matter how poor-have been urged to urgently provide minimum social protection packages to children by re-directing policies, programmes and funding to support them through their families.
Speaking on day-four of the 17th International Aids Conference in Mexico City, Professor Linda Richter, the Executive Director Child, Youth, Family and Social Development, South Africa said there must be a dramatic rethink in policies to develop comprehensive and integrated family centered services because in generalised epidemics all activities like prevention, treatment and care can best done in a family setting.
A report released recently by UNIADS indicates that in 2007 a total of 2 million children were living with HIV, eight times more than in 1990. The report indicates that both new infections and deaths among children have grown three-fold globally since 1990. Around 90% of these children live in Sub-Saharan Africa where 12.1milion children are estimated to have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
"The overwhelming majority of infected children globally are cared for in their families. This is right because families care best for children," said Richter. "Every developing country, no matter how poor, can afford a social protection package for children affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty."
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the cost of a social protection package for low income African countries consisting of a small universal old-age pension, universal primary education, free primary health and a child benefit of US$ 0.2, ranges between 1.5 to 4.5 of the gross domestic product.
According to DFID, a recent and quite effective pilot programme in Zambia provided US$15 per month to each of the poorest 10% of households. If this approach is implemented in all low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, DFID suggests, it would cost only 3% of the aid to Africa.
"It is critical that the 'more resources' we are requesting for, go directly to the poorest families affected by HIV and AIDS, not via the many intermediaries that currently stand between various forms of aid and the children who need it," said Richter.
"By targeting only individuals, many HIV interventions and services are missing critical opportunities to reach out to family and community members as well."
She said HIV testing among households is proving to be a promising approach because opportunities to reach out to family networks exist naturally through services like PMPCT, during home care of a very ill person or the during the initiation of a family member into antiretroviral treatment.
According to Mr Stephen Takunya, the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Right to Play, an international NGO that communicates social messages to children through play, there is need to consider children's needs and engage them when programming interventions for their health.
"The current programming takes children and youth as receivers. We deliver to them according to our expectations and not according to what they need and that is why some programmes are not effective or even fail," he said.
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